oliver Daily news

Grants awarded to SO organizations

The Community Foundation of the South Okanagan| Similkameen [CFSOS] has approved granting of more than $440,000 to over 60 charities in the RDOS.

The Community Foundation of the South Okanagan Similkameen is dedicated to building healthy and vibrant communities throughout the region. In particular, local organizations in the South Okanagan who were approved for grants: South Okanagan Rehabilitation Centre for Owls for $1,356.44, Desert Valley Hospice Society for $3,500, Osoyoos Museum for $1,400, Okanagan Falls Seniors Activity Centre for $6,425 and Kaleden Volunteer Fire Dept. for $500.

“Grants were approved for projects from addiction recovery, repairs and renovation on social housing, to senior wellness and environmental awareness, to name just a few, said Aaron McRann, Executive Director of the Community Foundation of the South Okanagan Similkameen. “While there is always a need for short term funding priorities it is always our goal to support a broad cross section of community need through sustainable grants that often include supporting the operating needs for charities, which is often not a priority for many local funders,” said McRann. “We approved multi-year funding for two local charities which will allow them to focus on expanding their programs and services to community for three years, rather than focusing on having to find funding year after year,” added McRann.

With the 2018 grant total reaching $440,000, CFSOS’s total granting in the history of the organization is now over $3 million. This has happened all while preserving the original capital that many people have generously donated over the years to build the endowment fund to more than $11 million. “It’s important point to understand that about half of the $440,000 that we granted this year was pre-designated by donors who have already determined who they want to support from their fund.” The other half of the grant money is distributed through the Foundation’s annual grant process.

“We received over 50 applications from local organizations through the Foundation’s annual grants, which was down from previous years, but the requests totaled more than $560,000, which was significantly higher than in previous years. “This speaks to the significant amount of funding that is needed in our region,” said McRann.